The Unbelievable Truth (Radio) - TV Tropes The Unbelievable Truth You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share "Hello, and welcome to The Unbelievable Truth. The best panel show on Radio 4. About truth and lies. That I host. " — David Mitchell BBC Radio 4 Panel Game based around truth and lies, hosted by David Mitchell . It is now airing its fourteenth series. The format comprises four panellists, generally stand-up comedians or comedy writers; there are no permanent panellists, but some of the more frequent ones include John Finnemore, Graeme Gardennote who is the creator of the programme and co-owner of the company that makes it, which tends to be joked about whenever he's on, Tony Hawks, Lucy Porter, Arthur Smith and Henning Wehn. Each of the guests will present a short lecture on a given subject, ranging from Isaac Newton to pigeons.

Each lecture is a tissue of lies ranging from the plausible to the obviously absurd, save for five true pieces of information that the panellist should attempt to smuggle past their opponentsnote although it is common for panellists to accidentally include additional truths, for which points will be awarded to the guesser. Another player may buzz in if they believe they have spotted a truth; if they're correct, they win a point, but if they get it wrong they lose a point. At the end of their lecture, the panellist wins points depending on how many truths they have managed to smuggle past their opponents. This show contains examples of: Awful Wedded Life : David and Victoria Coren Mitchell are Happily Married in real life, but David does sometimes play this trope for laughs, especially if Victoria is also on the panel. Bait-and-Switch Comparison : David Mitchell introducing Balhamite Arthur Smith with "After losing a bet to Tony Hawks, Arthur stood naked in Balham High Road and sang the national anthem of the People's Republic of Moldova.

An impoverished region, the regular scene of civil unrest, Balham is in South London near Clapham." In series 4 episode 6, Graeme Garden is introduced with, "Graeme was one of the original writers on the hit ITV sitcom, Doctor in the House , which featured the exploits of trainee doctors. It seems incredible, doesn't it, a hit ITV sitcom." David talks about how the Duchess Richmond having a parrot buried in Westminster Abbey: "Reputedly the oldest stuffed bird in existence, she was married to the Duke of Richmond." Once, when David introduces Tony Hawks, he mentions that Tony is often mistaken with Tony Hawk, though one wears a helmet at work while the other is a world skateboard champion. And in series 9 episode 5, David introduces John Finnemore with, "You may recognize John's voice from the hit Radio 4 comedy Cabin Pressure , in which he plays airline steward Arthur Shappey. A nervy, unreliable, but ultimately loveable idiot, John also writes the show." In season 10 episode 5, David mentions that Simon Cowell's favourite dessert is butterscotch angel delight.

"Utterly artificial, devoid of goodness and liable to make you sick, Simon Cowell lives in Los Angeles." Graeme Garden's lecture on gardens in Series 14, Episode 6 included a poke at QI and its presenter, Stephen Fry : Graeme: As fans of Stephen Fry's light-hearted TV quiz QI will know, Europe's largest producer of bananas is Iceland. Fed by subterranean rumblings and emitting blasts of hot air, Stephen has hosted the show since 2001.note Arthur Smith fell for the last phrase as a truth; the series began airing in 2003. Berserk Button : While it's definitely a mild example, David is always exasperated by pedantry related to food categories, in the "tomatoes are actually fruit" vein. Biting-the-Hand Humor : Inevitably for a Radio 4 comedy panel show, there are many digs at Radio 4 and its stereotypical audience.

[following a debate about the British tradition of eating lamb with mint sauce, which originated when Queen Elizabeth I decreed that lamb must be consumed with bitter herbs to discourage people from eating sheep instead of harvesting their wool] David Mitchell: People don't like things because they're nice, people like things because they're used to them! That's the whole principle behind Radio 4! Blatant Lies : The whole point of the show, but it can escalate to hilariously absurd levels. Henning Wehn's statement "Britain is the envy of Europe in traffic management infrastructure" was so unbelievable that it earned a laugh from the audience and entire panel. Brick Joke : In Series 3, episode 3, first speaker Graeme Garden ended his speech on China with "The great wall of China is the only landmark on Earth where you can see the Moon", and last speaker Clive Anderson ended his speech on The Moon with "the proof that we've been to the moon is that three golf balls left behind are visible on the surface, which can only be seen from the Great Wall of China".

In the first of his two series 13 recordings, Lloyd Langford's subject is Whales, which David Mitchell differentiates from the phonetically identical Wales in his introduction. In the second recording his subject is Wales, with David giving the same introduction from the first recording with the definitions of Whales and Wales reversed. Buffy Speak : Henning refers to car air fresheners as "Hanging lemony-scented smelly Christmas tree thingies". Captain Obvious : Graeme Garden once used the story of Isaac Newton seeing an apple falling out of a tree as one of his five facts. When it was immediately buzzed on, he clarified it was a "pathetic attempt at a double-bluff". Collective Groan : Greeting Jeremy Hardy's line on the subject of the clergy: Jeremy Hardy: Most clerics have had to find lucrative side lines to make ends meet. [...] In early Christian Rome, clergy would make extra cash by leaving little baskets of dried flowers in lavatories, a practice known as 'popery'.

Audience: (groan) Do Not Do This Cool Thing : Referenced In-Universe by David in Series 9, Episode 2 following Tom Wrigglesworth's lecture on smoking: David: The UN's World Health Organization quotes a 1994 report which says, "Teens who smoke are three times more likely than non-smokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and twenty-two times more likely to use cocaine." Basically, that 1994 report might as well have just said, "Smoking is cool." Don't Explain the Joke : In a fourth series episode, during a round about sausages, Henning Wehn talks about the sausage tree, found in tropical Africa. Then: David Mitchell: Yes, it's... it's... Because of its suggestive shape, it's often been used as an aphrodisiac. [ beat ] Um, saying sausages are like penises. Fi Glover: Thanks for the explanation. Don't know if you got it.

Dungeonmaster's Girlfriend : Parodied when Victoria Coren Mitchell appeared in Series 12 shortly after her marriage to David, and David assured listeners he would "be giving her no preferential treatment at any stage of her victory." When she fell for several lies, she claimed that David had told her she should appear on a panel with Henning Wehn, as he never wins.note Ironically, Henning won the episode in question jointly with Graeme Garden; Victoria finished third. And in the other episode from the same recording session, she, Henning, and Graeme shared second place, finishing one point behind Jeremy Hardy. Eskimos Aren't Real : On the Australian version, Shane Jacobson was giving a lecture on Vikings when Sam Simmons claimed that he's always thought Vikings were mythical. Exact Words : A common way of scoring points on the "accidental" truths panellists have included. Graeme Garden is a particular fan of this approach: Tony Hawks: More people than you think have false teeth... [buzz] Graeme Garden: I think three people have false teeth. As is Alex Horne: Alex Horne: Is it too late to say that Martha and Myrtle were the inspiration for M&Ms? The names.

David Mitchell: It isn't too late to say that, and it is incorrect. Alex Horne: Yeah. No. I was just wondering if it was too late to say it or not. (later) David: "Live by pedantry, die by pedantry. That's my motto." Feghoot : Panellists frequently end a false statement with one (they're a good way to work in a detailed and thus plausible-sounding anecdote, but still keep it funny). For example, this from Ed Byrne on the subject of bees: Ed Byrne: So great is the heat generated by bees that the Romans used to encourage bees to build hives in the walls of their homes, forming a rudimentary form of central heating. The practice is remembered today when someone walks into a room with the heating turned up too high and remarks, "Swarm in here." (audience groans) Ed Byrne: Thank you, thank you. Graeme Garden managed to sneak in a truth by disguising it as the punchline to one of these, with a story about Florence Nightingale working as a caterer and trying to accurately calculate how many pastries she would need to feed the troops, and thereby inventing the pie chart.

Foreign Remake : There is now an Australian version of The Unbelievable Truth, developed by The Chaser , which is much the same except with Australian comedians, and on television.note Australia does not have Britain's long tradition of radio panel games, but has had several successful TV panel games, such as Spicks And Specks . Series co-creator and regular panellist Graeme Garden appeared in the second episode and won by a large margin, with the host pointing out that it would have been quite embarrassing if he hadn't. Freakier Than Fiction : The easiest facts to slip through are, naturally, the ones that any sane person would think was made up. Friendly Rivalry : With QI . As both shows trade in little-known, counter-intuitive facts and thus are vulnerable to getting them wrong, they have each taken delight in pouncing on mistakes made by the other. Stephen Fry seems to delight in making the point during David's QI appearances of flagging up mistakes. David has started to respond with gleeful vitriol, making QI mistakes obvious if the same subject comes up on The Unbelievable Truth.

"Funny Aneurysm" Moment : Invoked and discussed In-Universe on one of Graeme Garden's appearances, mentioning an episode of The Goodies that features Rolf Harris in captivity. Germanic Depressives : Henning Wehn tends to play up the "Germans have no sense of humor" stereotype. A Good Name for a Rock Band : In Series 12, Episode 6, Graeme Garden's lecture on beetles includes the fact that certain sweets are coated with the anal secretions of the lack beetle. Jeremy Hardy buzzes in and says he's going for "the beetles' arse juice sweeties", adding that they're an indie band he saw recently. Grammar Nazi : In Episode 5 of Series 8, David Mitchell says "would never've" and Mark Watson corrects/clarifies with "would never have". David Mitchell: Did I s-... If you're accusing me of saying "would of", that's a duelling issue !

He's Just Hiding : Invoked following Marcus Brigstocke's lecture on the Queen: [on learning the Queen takes a black outfit with her wherever she goes in case she needs to mourn a deceased family member] Frankie Boyle: Wasn't that just while the Queen Mother was still alive? Neil Mullarkey: She is still alive. She's just hiding. David Mitchell: In a grave. House Rule : Over many series, David has established precedent in his rulings regarding various uncommon strategies, such as buzzing to declare that the next statement will be true (which he allows, but warns it tends not to pay off). The most significant informal rule is probably that if someone buzzes on a truth that was included accidentally, they get a point but the speaker doesn't lose one. Hurricane of Puns : In series 8 episode 2, Mark Watson buys Ed Byrne's statement about bees having a universal language. Ed Byrne: My favorite fact was the fact that bees internationally don't quite understand each other. Mark Watson: I could see that from the evil gleam in your eye. Ed Byrne: You fell into my honey trap. Mark Watson: I wish I hadn't buzzed. Ed Byrne: You've been stung by me.

I Am Not Shazam : invokedDiscussed regarding Big Ben (often mistaken to be the name of the Clock Tower, rather than just its bell). On a discussion about hearing it on the hour on the radio before hearing the bell itself, due to radio waves travelling faster than sound: David Mitchell: You're standing at the bottom of Big Be- you know what I mean by "Big Ben" and everyone will write in saying it's not called "Big Ben" - the tower with the clock in that makes the bongy noise . Japanese Ranguage : In Lee Mack's lecture on fleas, he claimed that in China fleas are very expensive, except when they are on special offer: Buy One, Get One Flea. Kansas City Shuffle : Frequently appear as panellists attempt to decide what level of bluff is being run. David Mitchell: I've lost count of the number of bluffs! After appearing in the show a few times, in a series 8 episode Tony Hawks is able to double bluff the other panellists by saying "fingers on buzzers" before giving a true statement. Lame Pun Reaction : The results of the panellists' puns often make everyone else groan, although sometimes they quietly chuckle.

Little Known Facts : Because of the game's objective, all lies are read as true facts, even the most absurd. Long List : A common way of smuggling truths past is to bury them in one of these (such as Charlie Brooker's spiel of items invented by Thomas Edison). Panelists are getting savvier about this, as David put it in series 9 "It's a list. We all know how this goes, everybody pick something." (This was indeed followed by all three of the other panellists guessing which one was true and David announcing who was right.) Loophole Abuse / Rule of Funny : In general, the "accidental" truths that panellists score points on tend to be very trivial things rather than actual truths, such as Phill Jupitus getting buzzed for opening his lecture on Vikings with the sentence "There have been many great civilisations in history." Namesake Gag : Neil Mullarkey's lecture on barcodes claimed that they were invented by Baron Felix Von Barcode, a contemporary of Michael Electricity and Sir William Shaving-Foam.

Tony Hawks' lecture on tennis claimed that the first recorded tennis court official was Sir William Umpire, who oversaw a match at Wimbledon in 1906 from a perch atop Captain Percival High-Chair. "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer : After Rufus Hound explained he was going to deliver his lecture in the medium of rap: David Mitchell: For those listening at home... yes, this is really happening. Running Gag : Henning Wehn starting his lectures by saying that Jesus was the inventor of his chosen subject. In Series 7, Episode 5, he opened a lecture on furniture by saying "If you believe Mel Gibson, and there is no reason not to, furniture as we know it today was invented by Jesus." For once, this turned out to be one of his five truths, a reference to a scene in The Passion of the Christ which features a table made by Jesus in a more modern fashion.

In Series 12 Episode 6, he opens his lecture on Britons with "Contrary to popular belief, Britain was not invented by Jesus." In Series 8, Episode 2, there was a running gag about bees' inability to spin webs, and in episode 4, there were repeated jokes about barbecues and tenses. Sarcastic Confession : Panelists may successfully smuggle a truth if the statement itself is silly enough, though some have managed inflections that make it seem like it's definitely untrue. Also, lecturers often try to smuggle truths by giving two or more ridiculous statements/facts in a sentence, one of which is true, and hope that the others will assume it's entirely false. Schmuck Bait : Tony Hawks spent one episode of Series 4 buzzing in on any fact related to America, on the grounds that he was a "sucker" for facts about America, and he was always incorrect; he kept on buzzing-in on any fact about America, with the encouragement of Mitchell and the panel. On the final fact (that in Atlanta, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole), he refused to buzz in... Tony: I'm not going for that!

Phill Jupitus: (buzz) I reckon that's true. David Mitchell: Yeah, you're right, Phill! In one episode of Series 14, Arthur Smith, on the subject of Death, said "Over 2,000 years ago, a man called Jesus died and came back to life three days later." After a longish pause where no-one buzzed he said "All right, have it your way." (David later clarified that Jesus was crucified less than 2,000 years ago, "so we are not required to discuss the issue of whether or not he came back to life".) Self-Deprecation : Lee Mack correctly identifies a statement about a clown who was hired to perform for chimpanzees as true. He claims he knows that because he's the clown. Signing Off Catch Phrase : "All that remains is for me to thank our guests. They were all truly unbelievable, and that's the unbelievable truth.

Goodnight!" Take That : In a 2012 lecture on beards, Henning Wehn recited a joke about Richard Sheridan, "the best paid comedian of the day", paying just two shillings in beard tax due to a "convoluted Jersey-based avoidance scheme", which he later described as "an error of judgement". This was a dig at the then-current tabloid scandal over comedian Jimmy Carr 's tax avoidance. Several guests love making fun of real-life Gonk Adrian Chiles, often sarcastically calling him a "teenage heartthrob" in episodes recorded during his tenure at ITV (and after leaving the BBC). Token Minority : Parodied in the first episode of Series 13. Following a 2014 BBC directive that all Panel Shows were required to include at least one female panellist (due to increasing criticism of the dearth of female panellists on such programmes), David Mitchell introduced comedienne Lucy Beaumont as the panel's token... Northerner.note Beaumont is native to Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire; the episode's other panellists were Kent native Jack Dee, Sussex native Alex Horne, and Berkshire native John Finnemore.

Trust Me, I'm an X : In a 2012 episode, Arthur Smith had the subject of Barbie , and made the claim that, if Barbie was a real person, she'd only have room in her body for half a liver and a few centimeters of intestine, and would therefore suffer from chronic diarrhea. Graeme Garden buzzed in, paused for a few moments, then said, in his most serious tone of voice, "As a medical man..."note Graeme studied to become a doctor, but got sidetracked by showbiz. In another episode, Clive Anderson insisted that some people thought Jack The Ripper was a bicyclist, saying that some of his old colleagues used to say it, naming this trope outright with "Trust me, I'm a lawyer!" Rhod Gilbert, on the subject of soup, got as far as " Britney Spears once..." before Arthur Smith challenged, on the grounds that he would believe absolutely anything following that phrase. (He was wrong.) Tony Hawks decided that absolutely any statement which started with "In America..." was believable. Wrong Genre Savvy : Panellists will occasionally play this for laughs by buzzing-in on a lecture and saying " Deviation!

" (Or, on at least one occasion, "Repetition!") :: Indexes :: David Mitchell - Biography - IMDb David Mitchell Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (5) | Personal Quotes (7) Overview (3) 5' 10" (1.78 m) Mini Bio (1) David Mitchell was born on 14th July 1974 in Salisbury, England. His parents, Ian and Kathy Mitchell, worked as hotel managers in Salisbury. David also has a brother. In 1977 the family moved to Oxford, where his parents taught a course in hotel management at Oxford Brookes University. David was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. He has been writing comedy material since his schooldays when he used to write comedy sketches with his friends. A year before he went to college, David worked for a while as a proofreader for the Oxford University Press. He studied History at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Whilst he was studying at Cambridge University he joined the Cambridge Footlights, where he met his comedy partner, Robert Webb .

David became President of the Cambridge Footlights and after graduation he and Robert staged a two man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Early in his career David worked as a freelance writer on comedy sketch shows including 'Armstrong and Miller' and 'Big Train'. He also appeared as Owen, the IT specialist, in 'Think the Unthinkable', a BBC Radio 4 situation comedy about a firm of management consultants. David made a guest appearance as Owen in one episode for the first series. This episode was broadcast on 6th November 2001. His character proved to be so popular that Owen was co-opted as a full member of Unthinkable Solutions and David appeared in all six episodes of Series 2 of 'Think the Unthinkable'. These episodes were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 7th November 2002 to 12th December 2002. In 2001 David and Robert co-wrote a six part comedy sketch show 'The Mitchell and Webb Situation', which was broadcast on Play UK.

The series was directed by David Kerr , who would later work with David and Robert on their BBC2 sketch show, That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006), and several sketches featured the actress Olivia Colman . Also in 2001, David bought his first home, a small flat in the Kilburn district of London. In 2003 David was cast as Mark Corrigan in the Channel 4 situation comedy, Peep Show (2003). This series follows the lives of Mark and his friend Jeremy, played by Robert Webb , who share a flat in Apollo House, a London apartment block. Mark works for a company called JLB Credit. His work colleagues include Sophie Chapman, played by Olivia Colman . The show has a distinctive look because of its extensive use of subjective camera angles, as viewers are shown events from Mark and Jeremy's point of view. The series also makes use of voice overs in which Mark and Jeremy reveal their innermost thoughts. The first series was broadcast in six episodes between 19th September 2003 and 24th October 2003. Peep Show (2003) was an instant success.

The show was nominated for the BAFTA television award for best situation comedy in 2004, and a second series was quickly commissioned. This was broadcast in six episodes on Channel 4 between 12th November 2004 and 17th December 2004. As a result of David's filming commitments for the second series of Peep Show (2003), he was only available to record some of the episodes for the third series of the Radio 4 sitcom, 'Think the Unthinkable', which was broadcast in six parts between 13th July 2004 and 17th August 2004. To explain his absence, the writers devised a storyline in which David's character Owen went into hiding, and a new IT consultant, Jed, played by Robin Ince , was drafted in to cover for him. The first series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', a comedy sketch show, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 28th August and 2nd October 2003. All of the characters in the radio show were played by David, Robert, Olivia Colman and James Bachman .

It was in Episode 5 of Series One, broadcast on 25th September 2003, that a character called Sir Digby Caesar Salad made his first appearance. Sir Digby was played by Robert and David took the role of his trusty sidekick Ginger. These characters would later feature prominently in the sketch show when it transferred to BBC2 in 2006. After the success of the first run of six episodes, 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound' was commissioned for a second series, which was broadcast in six parts between 10th February and 17th March 2005. Episode 5 of the second series, which went out on 24th February 2005, included a sketch about a game show called Numberwang. David returned to play Owen in the fourth and final series of 'Think the Unthinkable'. This consisted of four episodes broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 28th September and 19th October 2005. David ended 2005 by starring in the third series of Peep Show (2003).

This was shown in six parts by Channel 4 between 11th November 2005 and 16th December 2005 and went on to win the best TV comedy award at the 2006 British Comedy awards. In the third series, Alan Johnson, an executive at Mark's firm JLB Credit played by Paterson Joseph , memorably explained his attitude to personnel issues by saying that in his opinion illness is weakness. The format of the Mitchell and Webb radio series was used for a television sketch show, That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006), the first series of which was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between 14th September 2006 and 19th October 2006. The television series featured a number of sketches first used in the radio show such as the surprising adventures of Sir Digby Caesar Salad, now renamed Sir Digby Chicken Caesar. The Numberwang game show also featured in every episode of the first TV series. Usually Robert played the game show host, but in one episode David hosted a German language version of Numberwang.

In 2006 David and Robert went on a tour of Great Britain with their stage show, 'The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb'. This opened at the Pleasance Theatre in London on 12th October 2006 and ended at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells on 10th December 2006. In December 2006 David was the best man at Robert's wedding to Abigail Burdess . In 2006 David hosted a pilot episode for a comedy panel game called 'The Unbelievable Truth'. In the game, the contestants each deliver a lecture on a given subject. Their talks consist almost entirely of lies, but the lectures always contain a few items of genuine factual information. The other contestants have to identify the items of true information, and points are won by correctly identifying true facts, and also for successfully smuggling truths past the other contestants. The pilot episode was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 19th October 2006, and it led to a full series of six episodes which ran from 29th April to 3rd June 2007.

The writers of Peep Show (2003), Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain , wrote the screenplay for 'Magicians', a comedy feature film starring David and Robert as rival stage musicians. This film went on general release in Great Britain on 18th May 2007. Peep Show (2003) returned in the spring of 2007 for its fourth season after a slightly longer break than usual. As usual David and Robert collaborated on the scripts with Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain by providing additional material. The series was shown on Channel 4 in six episodes between 13th April and 18th May 2007. David was nominated for the best TV comedy performance award at the 2008 Television BAFTAs for his portrayal of Mark in the fourth season of Peep Show (2003). The show itself won the award for best TV comedy at the 2007 the British comedy awards, and the best sitcom award at the 2008 Television BAFTAs.

Just after Peep Show (2003) had completed its run on Channel 4, David co-wrote and starred in the third series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', which was broadcast in six episodes on BBC Radio 4 between 24th May and 28th June 2007. The highlights included 'Celebrity Fame Zeppelin', a sketch which parodied reality television shows like 'Big Brother'. Also in 2007 David was one of the team captains in the first series of 'Would I lie to you?' This was a comedy panel game shown on BBC1 television in six parts between 16th June and 28th July 2007. The first series of That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006) won a BAFTA award, and the sketch show was commissioned for a second series. This was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between 21st February 2008 and 27th March 2008. Later in 2008 David hosted the second series of 'The Unbelievable Truth', which went out on BBC Radio 4 between 5th May and 9th June 2008.

There was also an 'Unbelievable Truth' Christmas special, which was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Monday 15th December 2008. In the late spring of 2008, Peep Show (2003) returned for its fifth season, which was broadcast in six episodes by Channel 4 between 2nd May and 6th June 2008. The fifth series featured a new character called Dobby played by Isy Suttie , who was nominated for the award for best female comedy newcomer at the 2008 British Comedy awards. Also at the 2008 British comedy awards, David was nominated for best television comedy actor, and Olivia Colman was nominated for best television comedy actress for her performance as Sophie Chapman. Unfortunately, none of the three Peep Show (2003) nominees won on the night, but David's role as Mark was recognized at the 2009 Television BAFTAs when he won the award for best comedy performance.

In his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony which took place at London's South Bank on Sunday 26th April 2009, David said that the award should really have been shared with his comedy partner and co-star in the sitcom, Robert Webb . David returned as one of the team captains in the second series of BBC1's 'Would I lie to you?' This was shown in nine episodes between 11th July and 19th September 2008. The ninth episode of the second season was a compilation of highlights and previously unseen material. In the spring of 2009, David hosted the third season of 'The Unbelievable Truth'. This was broadcast in six parts by BBC Radio 4 between 23rd March and 27th April 2009. One of the guests in the third season was Graeme Garden , who had originally helped to devise the format of the game show. David made a guest appearance in two episodes of the BBC Radio 4 topical debate show, 'Heresy'. The episodes in question went out on 5th and 19th May 2009.

The third season of That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006) started on BBC2 on Thursday 11th June 2009. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Andrew Bede Spouse (1) ( 17 November 2012 - present) (1 child) Trivia (5) Was a member of Cambridge Footlights, a contemporary of Robert Webb , Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade . Studied History at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. Son-in-law of Alan Coren'. David Mitchell marries girlfriend Victoria Coren in a lavish ceremony and Peep Show co-star Robert Webb is his best man | Daily Mail Online comments He is already known as one half of a double act – but yesterday David Mitchell officially became part of a rather more glamorous duo. The actor married writer and presenter Victoria Coren in front of a host of other television stars, including comedian David Baddiel and his actress wife Morwenna Banks, and former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq. Mitchell, 38, arrived at St Peter's Church in Belsize Park, North London, with his best man and comedy partner Robert Webb.

Just married: David Mitchell tied the knot with Victoria Coren on Saturday in a star-studded wedding in North London The pair, who met at Cambridge University, starred in Peep Show – Channel 4's longest-running sitcom – and BBC2 sketch show That Mitchell And Webb Look. Miss Coren, 39, who wore a fishtail dress, was given away by her brother, food critic Giles, and her bridesmaids included presenter Claudia Winkleman. The bride is a professional poker player and hosts BBC4 quiz show Only Connect. She began dating Mitchell in 2010, but he has admitted being 'smitten' with his 'clever, funny, beautiful' wife since they met in 2007. The bride looked lovely in a traditional white wedding gown, which featured lace sleeves and a figure hugging bodice with a mermaid silhouette. She opted for a classic veil and kept her long blonde locks down and her make-up natural, while David went for a quintessentially English black tailcoat over his grey suit. Both David and Victoria beamed as they made their way into St Peter's Church to promise each other eternal faith.

Mr and Mrs Mitchell: The comedian kisses his bride as they leave St Peter's Church following the ceremony The happy couple: Both the bride and the groom beamed as they made their way to a no doubt lavish reception The ceremony was attended by a range of celebrity friends, including Jimmy Carr, David Baddiel and Claudia Winkleman. And David's comedic partner and Peep Show co-star Robert Webb acted as best man, following his friend into the church to no doubt give him some last minute words of encouragement before the couple said their 'I do's'. David, 38, has been dating Victoria, 39, the daughter of late TV personality Alan Coren, since 2010 and popped the question in March of this year.

Best man: David was seen earlier on Saturday making his way to the church in North London with comedic partner and best man Robert Webb in tow Groomsmen: The comedian didn't show any signs of nerves as he was about to tie the knot with the love of his life, Victoria Coren A British wedding: The Peep Show star looked dapper in a quintessentially British tailcoat over his grey suit The pair actually met at a showbiz party in 2007, and even though David admitted he was instantly smitten with the fellow writer and broadcaster, three years went by before they actually got together. She was in a relationship with someone else at the time and turned down the comedian's advances. In his autobiography 'Back Story', David spoke out about the agony of not being with the love of his life for those years, and how it led him to midnight walks in the park and frequent visits to the pub. ‘I was hopelessly in love. I told no one about it,’ the star discloses in his book.

‘I didn’t tell my closest friends or my parents of the enormous sadness that overshadowed my life.’ And the bride wore white: Victoria looked angelic in her stunning trumpet gown as she's helped by her bridesmaids, including Claudia Winkleman Traditional bride: The 39-year-old broadcaster opted for a classic veil over her white trumpet-style gown ‘I started walking for my back,’ he writes. ‘I kept going because of her. It made thinking about her more bearable.’ ‘I’d always liked getting drunk in the pub or at parties – now I had a real use for it.' 'You could use it to speed up time – almost like cutting to the next morning’s hangover. So I did that. A lot. A few times, when drunk, I’d get off with someone. The booze allowed me to tell myself that it might make me feel better.

Maybe I’ll manage to fall in love with this person instead.’ Star-studded: The couple invited many of their celebrity friends to their happy day, including fellow comedian Jimmy Carr Bridesmaids: Claudia Winkleman served as one of the bridesmaids at the wedding and looked lovely in a navy floor length gown David Mitchell (Creator) - TV Tropes David Mitchell You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share If I'm 30% Dalek and 30% me, 30% of the me 30% (9%) should also be Dalek, making me 39% Dalek, 52% Sherlock Holmes and only 9% pure me! —David Mitchell describing himself on Twitter David Mitchell is a British actor, comedian, and writer (though not the same as the novelist of the same name) best known for his work with long-time comedy partner Robert Webb on the "Mitchell and Webb" sketch shows , most notably That Mitchell and Webb Situation, That Mitchell and Webb Sound, and That Mitchell and Webb Look . (He and Webb were the also the dominant writers in short-lived sketch show Bruiser ).

The pair also star in a Black Comedy / Cringe Comedy Brit Com , Peep Show , with Mitchell playing Mark, an uptight, socially-repressed sad sack, to Webb's Jeremy, an aspiring musician with delusions of adequacy. The two also appeared in the feature film Magicians , written by the same writers as Peep Show and casting the pair as a magician double-act bearing similarities to their characters in the show. In his own projects Mitchell is the king of the Panel Show , with numerous appearances on QI , Have I Got News for You , Mock the Week and Would I Lie to You? , on which he is a team captain; he also turns up on The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue now and again. He is host of the radio show The Unbelievable Truth , which requires panelists to discern true facts from false; he was also host of The Bubble, a televised panel game, during its single-series run. In 2013 he began hosting a new quotation-based panel show called Was It Something I Said? on Channel 4. He has been featured in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? .

Currently he is one of the hosts of the news/comedy show 10 O'Clock Live . Mitchell's comedic style is characterized by witty, intelligent barbed commentary on the illogic of the world, which almost inevitably erupts in a ranting monologue which has the audience (and often the target) in stitches. He is the most likely spiritual successor to Stephen Fry , though he would be the first to deny it. Mitchell often seems self-conscious about his own success, presenting an occasionally shy face to the world at odds with his rapid-fire delivery when frustrated or annoyed, as when he claimed he would have liked to succeed David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who but doubted he would be attractive enoughnote Just look at that picture, though. It screams "the Doctor.". He also maintains a series of soapbox rants on Youtube , a column in The Observer and has written an autobiography "Back Story".

His current venture for the BBC is the sitcom Upstart Crow , part of their 'Shakespeare 400' season, in which he plays William Shakespeare trying to break into theatrical writing but who is woefully unappreciated by the prosaic Brummie-accented people he grew up with, who cannot understand his vision and think he's got too many big ideas in his head . He married to Victoria Coren and they have a child together. Not the same as the David Mitchell who wrote Cloud Atlas . Tropes associated with Mitchell or his characters: The Ace : David has appeared 7 times on The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year shows, and has won 5, giving him the most victories of anyone in the series (with only Jonathan Ross coming close to usurping his record). Artifact Title : His "Soapbox" was originally a pun on the fact that it was sponsored by a brand of cosmetics - since the third series, it's been sponsored by Dell, and much less prominently, but the title remains. Berserk Button : Gosh, so many thing.

Sausage rolls, bread and milk somehow being poisonous, Russians, being forced to dance, Americanized note Well, that's irony in action spelling, tea that's too hot, The British Cheese Board , the list goes on... Victoria Coren: I've finally met my clever-clogs soulmate - Telegraph Women's Life Victoria Coren: I've finally met my clever-clogs soulmate The presenter of erudite quiz shows, poker champion and critic, has found her match – and true love – in David Mitchell Victoria Coren: 'I never thought I’d get married, and if I ever did, it would be a dreary compromise' Comments Victoria and David. Such a perfect pairing. So hot! So cool! So, so many books.There’s a new power couple on the block and it’s not the Beckhams, although one of them is very sporting – if poker counts as a sport – and the other possesses a rapier wit sharper than a pair of pinking shears.

When television presenter and world-class poker player Victoria Coren, 41, wed comedy genius and panel-show regular David Mitchell, 39, last year, a wail of anguish rose up from tertiary-level-educated women everywhere, who had been smitten by the groom’s erudition, dry humour and awkward middle-class diffidence. Despite being happily married to a diffident clever-clogs of my own, even I secretly hoped I might be in with a chance, were Mitchell and I to stumble across one another by the seminal 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica at the British Library. When I tell Victoria this, she magnanimously feels my pain. Mostly because she’s heard it all before. “I know what you mean. I know!” she cries. “I can tell you a lot of people were very grumpy when they heard we were getting married, and I completely understand why. Related Articles Children are sick of online porn and want it blocked, claims expert 19 Sep 2013 “I mean, he’s a hugely successful television comedian, he could have had a gorgeous 24-year-old skinny wife with a tiny nose and a string bikini, but he chose me!

Me!” Coren, or Coren Mitchell as she haphazardly calls herself when she thinks it won’t cause too much confusion, is so disarmingly, so extravagantly in love with her husband of 10 months, I (almost) forgive her. “I am filled with this bizarre mix of thinking David could have done a lot better than me and feeling we’re so alike and complement each other so wonderfully that we are the ideal match and couldn’t possibly be with anyone else.” For all her self-effacement, Coren, daughter of the late Punch satirist Alan Coren and sister of food critic Giles, is herself quite a catch. And not just because, in its controversial Society Breasts issue, Tatler gave her the Bluestocking Tits award. Precociously bright, she was penning a weekly teen column in this very newspaper at the age of 15, then went on to read English at Oxford, where she got a First. She now writes a column for GQ magazine and a Sunday newspaper, but is better known for her television work.

Glamorous, blonde, curvaceous in all the right places and sharply funny on-screen, off-air she has a warmth entirely at odds with her deadpan Have I Got News For You delivery. So impassive were her features, I always thought she’d had Botox. “Oh no, I’ve not had anything done. But I have really thought about experimenting by having shedloads – I mean not just a bit here or there, completely paralysing my face so only my eyeballs move – before a big poker tournament to see how that would psych out everyone else,” she says, beaming. It might be just the ticket for the forthcoming European Poker Tour (EPT) taking place in London early next month, at which Coren – who was the first woman to win an EPT event in 2006 for £500,000 prize money – will be playing. But not such a good look in her role as presenter of the unapologetically erudite, lateral-thinking quiz show Only Connect, which begins its eighth series tonight on BBC Four.

“I love quizzes with the same part of my brain that likes puzzles and Sherlock Holmes stories, and Only Connect is infuriating and brilliant and what I love about it is that the people who come on it haven’t got bleached hair and don’t want to be rock stars, and aren’t represented very often on television,” she says, delivering it in a single, breathless sentence. “They are properly clever and interested in knowledge and arcane facts and they look nice and tidy in their favourite jumper. They wouldn’t dream of appearing in fake tan and prosthetic nails, although I obviously insist on them.” To present the programme, she must presumably be a-brim with esoterica; apparently not. “It’s easy for me to appear terribly knowledgeable when I roll my eyes and say: 'No, no, you fool, it was 12th-century Venice!’ But the truth is, I’ve got it written down in front of me.” I fear the lady doth protest too much, having bagged the now bearded David Mitchell – “I love the beard. It makes him look Russian” – without whom the entire panel-show industry would crumble to dust and fall far, far beneath the watershed.

For a couple whose brand of humour is shot through with cynicism, there was something quite heart-warming about the fact that they didn’t tie the knot clad in downbeat civvies and an air of post-modern ennui. In the event, he wore a conventional morning suit and she a fabulous white gown with spangles and a train the length of the Flying Scotsman. “We’re far more conventional than we might seem,” declares Coren. “I never thought I’d get married, and if I ever did, it would be a dreary compromise so I’d just wear a C&A twinset.” Despite being head-over-heels in love, she remained adamant she wouldn’t do the meringue thing. “One of my bridesmaids took me into a bridalwear shop, just so I knew what I would be rejecting, and I stomped along thinking: 'This is ridiculous, I’ll look stupid’,” she chuckles. “Six weeks later, I’m a complete bridezilla back in the shop shouting: 'I want the tiara and the veil and a huge train!

And I might decide to throw rose petals over myself – where are those rose petals?’ ” Her take on marriage is so sweet, dammit, I’m in danger of wishing her a lifetime of conjugal bliss. “Being married is like when you’re a kid and a friend is having a sleepover and it’s so thrilling you could burst with joy, having somebody there to have fun with and share things with,” she says, eyes glittering with pinch-me-I’m-dreaming delight. “I’m amazed by David and I think I got preposterously lucky. There we are doing crosswords and giggling or eating beans or watching a DVD together while I play poker on my iPad and it’s just lovely.” Coren is refreshingly up-front on the subject of babies and trying for a family; she dotes on her brother’s children, who live nearby. “I’m, like, 105 and there’s no shortage of people telling me to get on with it,” she sighs. “But I’m very much enjoying being a newlywed and I don’t think I’m capable of any more decisions right now.

At the moment, I can’t even choose between planting blue or yellow iris bulbs for the spring.” But imagine, Victoria, how terrifyingly clever your children would be? Surely your closet intellectual snob would love to pop out a tiny genius or two? “Oh, I’m not a closet intellectual snob,” she protests. “It’s right there on the surface. But I think if I had children I wouldn’t want them to be intellectual or clever because I’m not sure that way happiness lies. “I’m infuriated by stubborn stupidity but charming, happy ignorance is fine. Besides, these days you can have babies well into your eighties, so the way I see it, I’ve got decades left.” In the meantime, she will continue to multitask her way through three careers. “Poker is fun. Any monkey can present a TV show. Writing is hard and I don’t do much of it, but a writer is what I strive to be.” Occasionally she appears on Question Time, but has been known to precipitate consternation when her views aren’t predictably Leftie, thereby causing an imbalance on the panel. “Am I Left-wing?

In terms of tax-and-spend stuff and dreaming of a Utopian socialist world, yes,” she says. “But I think ultimately I’m a libertarian because I’m concerned about the massive curtailment of personal freedom. I hate all the CCTV cameras and ID checks and proposals that you can’t even smoke in your own home and this insane preoccupation with banning things. I expect that makes me far more Right-wing than any political party.” She is joking, I think. The air of unassailable confidence bestowed by an independent education gives every statement the ring of certainty (whether she feels it or not). “David’s not as posh as you’d think and neither am I,” she says. “I was pretty pleased the day the Daily Mirror described me as Posh Blonde Totty, because strictly speaking I’m none of those three. And as for Tatler calling me Bluestocking Tits, the bluestocking bit was very nice.” Poshness is, of course, very much in the ear of the beholder. Coren concedes that she and her husband are irredeemably middle class, which doesn’t make for an easy life.

“Being middle class, we are acutely aware of being too posh in one room and not posh enough in the next. But feeling deeply uncomfortable about who you are is the very definition of middle class.” How nice, then, that in Mitchell, she has found an excruciatingly self-conscious soulmate with whom she can suffer. 'Only Connect’ starts tonight at 8.30pm on BBC Four. The PokerStars London Poker Festival runs at The Connaught Rooms, London, from October 2 to 12 David Mitchell - IMDb IMDb Writer | Actor | Soundtrack David Mitchell was born on 14th July 1974 in Salisbury, England. His parents, Ian and Kathy Mitchell, worked as hotel managers in Salisbury. David also has a brother. In 1977 the family moved to Oxford, where his parents taught a course in hotel management at Oxford Brookes University. David was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. He has ... See full bio » Born:

Question: Who presents the Radio 4 panel game 'The Unbelievable Truth' and is married to Victoria Coren?
Answer: David Mitchell